Restaurant :- Casa Joya
Phone:- 699 00 50 24
Website:- www.casa-joya.com
From Mojacar take the E15 and exit 553 to Velez Rubio, pass through Santa Maria de Nieva and stay on the A327, when you spot the 13km marker (do not bear left to Velez Rubio) you will spot the sign for ’Casa Joya Rural Gastronomia’ - turn right and let the adventure begin! Follow the yellow triangles for about 2km and you will arrive, enter through the door to the right and then take in the eclectic delights within - a reception area with a small bar, books a plenty, shoes, all manner of wall decoration and seating for a drink while perusing the exquisite menu. Walk past the bar and look down the restaurant where eclectic becomes, well super eclectic! The walls are adorned with African tribal art, genuine art, old copies of Greek paintings, modern art including Indalo, there are twenties risqué photos of tastefully undressed ladies and old photos, old menus from London - I could go on, there is so much to see you could spend an afternoon touring the room and forget the food - but don't! thats why you are here! The place is owned and run by the king of the kitchen James and his queen Mary who looks after front of house.
There is an outside patio area and swimming pool, words cannot easily describe this place - go on the website, go to the restaurant - booking essential, cash only!
The menu - there is a daily menu which is either 16.95 euros for two courses or 19.95 for three, all food is homemade, home cooked with the freshest of ingredients. See website for a sample menu.
We started with ….
Chicken livers and quail with a salad garnish, the livers were lovely, the quail done to perfection (easy to dry it out) and the salad dressed very well - I ate the lot (and I don’t like salad!). Another had the goats cheese tartlet with the well dressed salad - excellent, totally devoured. The third starter was Thai fishcakes with a ginger and coconut sauce and the salad garnish, very delicious.
The mains were … I had venison, cooked just beyond pink, not at all tough, it just melted in the mouth, it came with a wild boar casserole again beautifully cooked and very, very tasty, it all came with mashed and parmentier potatoes with a scattering of seasonal veggies - ate the lot! The other two guests had the pork, black pudding and apple on a bed of mash with the same accompaniments as the venison - very tasty, the black pudding was more like a stuffing and was well received.
Room for desserts - no! - but how can you not? I had the cheese board, sorry didn’t ask what the cheeses were but there were two hard cheeses (no manchego) possibly one was a cheddar, the others were a soft cheese either a strong brie or mild camembert ( the drinks starting to take effect!) and the fourth was I believe Bleu D’auvergne - served at the correct temperature, a joy to eat. Next a gorgeous dark chocolate mousse served with rich vanilla ice cream - more please! Lastly the lemon and lime flan with the ice cream - more please!
Testimony to the meal shows in that we only left one digestive biscuit between all three courses and that was me as I don’t think sweet digestives go with cheese - apparently everybody else does, so I must be wrong.
OK… enough of more please! We love this place, how they can serve such a fantastic menu for such a very reasonable price is beyond me - we will return often, in fact we are going again on Saturday before they escape on the first real holiday they have taken for seven years - hurry back, we are waiting.
A quick word on the wine (don’t normally mention wine) - The house red and white are both delicious and come in at 9,95 euros a bottle (or was it 10.95?). We had a bottle of Ribero for about 14.00 euros - not tried it? Go for it pure, Tempranillo from just south of Madrid to me its beats Rioja hands down. They also have some Malbec and Merlot. Unable to comment on the white - don’t touch the stuff! The café con leche was fine.
Total cost for three people including 3 courses, wine, aperitifs and coffee a staggering 89.00 euros - book now before the prices go up or they decide to retire!
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